@ CabbageDad, CPNM, Batty67, KevinA, et al:
I think someone on this thread wrote that any player who wants to play catcher has to be a little "off" in the first place. I agree with that assessment. It's a physically and mentally grueling position to play. It also is a position that tends to be really hard on the body. Anyone who has blocked an 80+ MPH fastball knows that it can hurt like hell. Blocking pitches in the dirt is a skill that successful catchers must master, that's a given. However, there are times when blocking a pitch is completely unnecessary, and there are times when picking a pitch can have a better outcome.
Pitchers love having a catcher who keeps everything in front of them, when runners are on base. However, blocking every pitch, even when there is no one on base, unnecessarily beats up your catcher. Also, if a 90 MPH pitch is yanked into the batters box, it's tough for even the most athletic catcher to block that pitch, much less be in a position to make a throw to second. If the catcher can pick that ball, he puts himself in a great position (hips already turned, still in a crouch, ball in his glove for a quick transfer) to make a throw to second. That's with a runner at first; if there is a runner at third, then the catcher has to do everything he can to keep the ball from getting past him. With the runner at third, the catcher isn't worried about making a throw, just keeping the ball around the plate, so the runner is deterred from attempting to score. So the catcher has to be situationally aware before every pitch, and mentally prepared for a different action depending on the variables of the play.
My son had a coach who pitched in college, and he wanted his catchers to block when that was the right choice, pick when that was better, and preserve their bodies when there is no need to get beat up. That requires focus, but doesn't the game always require focus?
The first time a pitcher yanks a pitch wide into the batter's box, and his catcher picks the ball, then throws the runner out at second; that pitcher will be sold. Again, when runners are on, most pitches in the dirt should be blocked, but there are circumstances when the pick can be a better option.